Invocation is a special piece of music. What is its specificity

An invention is an invention. Latin, Russian, English, Italian, French and many other languages give an absolutely unambiguous translation of this word - "invention". But this can be said about any work of art, born of the imagination of its author.

What does an inventory in music mean?

With respect to the musical work, it emphasizes the special ingenuity, the sparkle of the composer's insight into finding various versions of the development and interweaving of themes and voices.

According to tradition, the inventory is a play with absolutely certain characteristics. First of all, we are talking about a polyphonic work, that is, about polyphony. In addition, this is usually a piano work. But the piano does not usually play single-sounded melodies, so everything that is written for the piano can be called polyphony?

No. In most polyphonic works, the textural voices are not equal. There is a clearly recognizable melody, and there are voices that accompany it. They are of secondary importance and are usually called "accompaniment", or "accompaniment".

The main feature of polyphonic writing

The peculiarity of polyphony is, first of all, that there are no accompanying textured lines in it. All voices are a melody, all main and equivalent. To follow the expressive intonation and articulation of each of them for the performer is a difficult task.

That is why the polyphony genre at all stages of music education (and almost at all competitions) is an obligatory part of the musician's program.

The same can be said about the task of the composer - creating a polyphonic work is difficult, it takes a lot of ingenuity.

Depending on the way the material is presented, such plays can have different names: fugue, canon, imitation, two- or three-part inventory and so on.

Among the works of this genre, the classic version is a fugue, and the inventory can be considered as a training material for preparing for its competent execution.

30 inventions by Johann Sebastian Bach

It was for this purpose that the greatest German composer of the 17th century Johann Sebastian Bach created his immortal two-voice inventions in the number of 15 and the same for three voices, calling the last symphonies.

In the preface to his inventions, Bach wrote that in this manual he showed how to manage not only with two, but in the process of improvement, and with three obligate (independent) voices while learning "good inventions and their proper development". As the main tasks, two are singled out: "to achieve a singing manner of the game and at the same time to acquire a taste for composition."

The incomprehensible greatness of Bach lies in the fact that, wanting to write simple exercises for students, he created creations that survived the centuries, not lost the power of spiritual impact on man even today.

The importance of polyphonic plays for the development of taste

Bach's incantations were written for the clavichord, since it was only on this instrument that it was really possible to "achieve a singing manner" of the game, rich in shades of sound. However, a modern grand piano makes it possible to realize this goal more fully.

Perhaps the composer did not even suspect to what extent his desire to instill a taste for the composition would come true.

A modern musician, often with less knowledge of compositional techniques than it was in the time of Bach, has a much greater understanding of the difference between true and false in musical art.

Everyone who has studied (even mechanically) even at least 1-2 Bach's introductions in childhood can never erase from memory the notion of correct voting. In each piece of music, he will intuitively look for independently developing melodic lines and perceive their absence as a flaw.

An invention is a musical piece that has established a scale for determining the authenticity in art.

Outstanding interpreter of inventions

Speaking of the inventory, it would be unfair not to mention the name of the legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. It so happened that it was Bach's inventions that played the main role in his birth as an artist, and it happened exactly in Russia.

In May 1957, a still young unknown pianist from Canada came to Moscow. It was his first tour trip. Two- and three-part Bach introductions are everything that was included in the concert program. A ticket to the conservatory hall cost 1 ruble, the audience gathered 30 people.

After the concert began, only a few minutes passed - and it became clear to the listeners that they were present at the birth of the miracle. People took turns to leave the hall to call friends about what was happening.

The second department began with a delay of 40 minutes - the audience filled the hall. After Moscow there was a concert in Leningrad, where part of the Moscow audience went to Gould.

After these concerts, the Canadian pianist continued touring in Europe, where he was already waiting as a new star, the halls were crowded. Until now, the Guldian interpretation of inventories is considered an unsurpassed pattern.

The invention is not an exclusive feature of Bach's work, such a polyphonic form was used before it. Among those who write the invasion today, you can name the names of famous composers: SA Gubaidulina, RK Shchedrin, BI Tishchenko. Despite all the talent of their music, it still can not stand competition with the "original source". These are phenomena of different scales.